Many fishing and recreational watercraft employ manually operated, remote foot controlled, electric trolling motors for propulsion and positioning of the watercraft. These direct current electric motors develop high thrust and torque/energy during use and therefore must be controlled. Typically, the motor and associated propeller are turned or steered by the operator applying pressure to the remote foot pedal. A cable (or set of cables) is used to provide force from the foot pedal to the motor's steering head and inner mechanism. The cable's force is translated into turning force via the inner mechanism of the motor's steering head. There is a stationary shaft attached to the bottom of the steering head and both parts remain static during any turning of the motor and associated propeller. A second, inner swivel shaft concentrically passes through the larger stationary shaft and has an upper and middle bearing associated therewith that allows rotation of the inner swivel shaft, i.e., relative to the larger stationary shaft. This inner swivel shaft is attached to the motor steering head's inner mechanism on an upper end thereof and to the electric motor and associated propeller on the opposite, lower end thereof.
In order to create the turning operation of the motor, the operator must apply force to the remote control foot pedal which then translates force via the cable to the inner mechanism of the steering head, and then to the inner swivel shaft to achieve the desired direction of the motor and propeller.
Unfortunately, these remote control systems used in conjunction with trolling motors inherently contain free play, or slack, in the steering systems. Thus, during motor operation, this free play becomes unwanted feedback, which requires extra effort from the operator to maintain steering control. This feedback is magnified when the motor is used in wind, waves, current or at high speed settings.
Additionally, this widely used design does not allow for adjustment of effort or tension on the inner swivel shaft. As a result, this allows the motor and associated propeller to rotate excessively, due, in part, to the free play and lack of tension on the steering system. This condition then allows the motor and associated propeller, when energized, to create force and momentum which is then transmitted back to the remote foot pedal. As previously noted, when the force is fed back to the pedal, the operator must respond with additional effort to maintain steering and directional control of the trolling motor and associated propeller. This extra effort is undesirable and creates fatigue and distraction for the operator.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a new and improved trolling motor system, and systems for controlling the operation thereof, that overcomes at least one of the aforementioned problems.